Thenford: The Creation of an English Garden

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In such idyllic circumstances, the Heseltines are more enamoured of their garden than ever, and more determined to spend as much time there as they can. I can tell you exactly when I feel it most,” Michael says, “on a cold January day when I’m out shooting, and I say to myself: ‘Why am I doing this? SEE the BACKSIDE OF the PHOTO - many times the image for sale will present stamps, dates, and other publication details - these marks attest to and increase the value of the press photos. If all this – anxiety at the influx of the great unwashed; shooting; that throne – give an impression of elitism, the Heseltines are bracingly unconcerned. Love Island All Stars fans slam Liberty Poole for crying over Mitchel Taylor again despite pair's bitter split: 'They broke up like 10 times!

It reminds us that behind every powerful figure lies an equally remarkable partner who plays an integral role in shaping history. Photograph: Tom Pilston for the Guardian View image in fullscreen Lord Michael and Lady Ann Heseltine in their garden at Thenford, near Banbury. Our first stop is the Sculpture Garden with its interconnected series of ‘rooms’ enclosed by yew and beech hedges.But Michael is king in the garden because his knowledge of plants has always been so much better than mine.

In the meantime, whatever is happening outside, however much those beyond the gate are screeching about Marmite and the royal yacht Britannia and immigrants’ teeth, the garden will endure. This captivating image, taken in November 1990 by Arnold Slater from Memory Lane Prints, depicts Anne Heseltine, wife of Michael Heseltine MP, as speculation swirled about her potential role as Prime Minister, should her husband succeed Margaret Thatcher. Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH).

Although my favourite garden is the cascading rill, a stunning water feature comprising nine interconnected pools. The idea behind Thenford was ‘to create a set of gardens that are like different rooms’, says Michael. Read more the creation of an English garden that you are ever likely to have the privilege of reading . Among the mainly modern British sculptures on show are Elisabeth Frink’s naked Standing Man (‘he’s the husband of an acquaintance of mine’, she comments) and Philip Jackson’s Reading Chaucer (a young woman in a medieval gown and pointed hat seated on a bench with a book).

In their own words, Michael and Anne Heseltine describe the ups and downs of how they set about transforming and expanding a wild, overgrown and often dilapidated woodland at Thenford into the magnificent garden they have today. Anne and Michael take me on a tour in one of their ‘his and hers’ golf buggies, which they use to visit the four corners of the gardens most evenings. But the gardens have brought Anne and I enormous solace over the years, particularly during the lockdowns.

Before I go, then, I ask if the book marks an end point of sorts; if the great project of their lives is complete.